"Glam" Vegan Eatery to Franchise Across Australia

Gold Coast restaurateur Natalie Evans plans to spread her ethical business model of "ve-glam" across the continent.

Restaurateur Natalie Evans announced plans to franchise her concept of “ve-glam”—or upscale, vegan dining experiences—across Australia. Evans currently owns the Greenhouse Canteen & Bar in Miami in the Gold Coast region of the continent, and its first franchise location is set to open in September in the Coolangatta area. “The aim is to have Greenhouse Canteen & Bar in every capital city nationally,” Evans said. “But it is imperative [franchisees] have the same vision. I’d like people to think [of] Greenhouse Canteen & Bar when they think [of] veganism or vegan food.” The dishes served at Greenhouse Canteen & Bar include internationally inspired appetizers such as an antipasto board—served with sourdough bread, dried fruit, nuts, olives, beet hummus, and three housemade vegan cheeses. Bigger plates include a variety of pasta dishes, jackfruit-based enchiladas, and bowls topped with barbecued tempeh. Twenty-seven-year-old Evans also runs a vegan catering business and Greenhouse Bathhouse—a vegan communal bathhouse. “You only have to walk down the aisles of your local grocery store to see the plant-based movement is the fast growing market in Australia,” Evans said. A recent Google Trends report determined that “vegan” was the top search term in Australia in 2016.